A peavey is a device comprising a long pole and a hook with a sharp point and with a hinged attachment to the pole. A peavey is useful for rolling logs and thus moving them short distances. When the pole is further fitted with a protruding foot that functions as a fulcrum between the peavey and the ground, a peavey can also be used to lift one end of a log, as may be useful when cutting logs. Once lifted however, the peavey provides no mechanism for transporting the log.
Hand trucks have been adapted in various ways to facilitate the carrying of various types of loads. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 70,303 and Re. 2,804 each show a hand truck fitted with a hinged hook similar to that of a peavey in order to assist in holding a barrel or bale on the hand truck. A problem with the type of carrier shown in these patents is that the grip of the hook on the load is readily lost if the carrier moves over uneven terrain or is tilted too far foward (tilted such that the load rolls towards the hinge). This is because the load must be constantly forced toward the hook's point in order to maintain the hook's bite on the load.
On the carriers shown in these patents, the undresirable effect of this loss of grip is reduced somewhat by the presence of the extended heel at the bottom of the carrier. The heel helps to maintain the load on the carrier since, if the heel is long enough and the carrier is tilted forward enough, the center of gravity of the load will be above a point between the tip of the heel and the handle of the carrier; thus the load will rest on the carrier rather than rolling off. However, even though the load may not fall off immediately, once the grip of the hook is lost the load can thereafter bounce on the carrier as it moves over uneven terrain, possibly jumping over the heel and off the carrier. The mitigating effect is obtained only either if a long heel is used, which may be difficult to get under the load, or if the carrier is tilted through a large angle. Further, the optimum size of such heel (long enough to provide the required support, but as short as possible to reduce the problem of getting the heel under the load) depends on the diameter of the load to be carried. Thus, this arrangement is unsuitable for carrying loads of widely varying sizes.
It is desirable to provide a carrier capable of maintaining a grip on a load when the carrier transports the load over uneven terrain, and further, it is desirable to provide a mechanism capable of maintaining such a grip on a wide range of load sizes.